When we choose furniture for our homes, we shop around endlessly, looking for that perfect sofa or bedroom set. These purchases are not made casually ñ we expect to live with them for many years ñ most of us look for the best quality we can afford. However, when selecting porch furnishings, many people don't put the same amount of care into this outdoor furniture. If you consider that your porch furniture is, in many ways, more public than your indoor furniture, it makes sense to choose porch furniture that reflects your personality in the same way that your dining room table does.

Part of this syndrome of making careless choices in porch furniture arises from finances. Good quality porch furniture is costly and you may feel that your money is better spent on an antique rocking chair than a good set of Adirondack chairs and dining table. That expensive, wrought iron, glass topped table and matching chairs is lovely, but you've got other priorities. There's a way around this dilemma. As a stop gap measure, go for the plastic chairs and table for now, so you have a place to have dinner out on the porch or patio -  a tablecloth and seat cushions can make this work. Then, you start a savings account for that best quality porch furniture! If you are able to set aside just $10 each week, by this time next year, you can pay cash for the porch furniture which will last for many years. Then you relegate the plastic to the back patio or for extra seating or kid's party needs.

As with your indoor furniture, you want to have some consistency to your porch furniture theme, particularly in a single area of the yard. For example, let's say you've got a big deck, where you do most of your entertaining. You saved up and now have the beautiful porch dining set. A couple of inexpensive chaise lounges and, yes, a few of those plastic chairs (with attractive seat cushions), will serve your purpose as you start a new savings account. Set your sights on additional, good quality porch furniture that complements the mood of your other good pieces. While it may take another year to finally complete your deck furniture, it's really not such a long time in the whole scheme of things.

If you're handy with tools and have some basic carpentry skills, you can build a porch bench that will last for decades, for less money than a cheap vinyl plastic bench. Which will look better? Which will be more comfortable? Which reflects your personality and good taste more accurately? You tell me.

Think of it this way. It can take many years for a porch to mature. Before your porch reaches maturity, you can furnish your porch with good quality pieces for just a few dollars a week!